Invoicing 7,000x faster, from 10 days to 2 minutes
What was the result?
A multinational shipping and marine services enterprise processing more than 800 invoices a month automated the work with Power Automate then Python, cutting processing from 10 days to 2 minutes, a 7,000x gain, with far fewer errors.
This engagement was delivered by GrowthPro Asia AI Consulting as a process automation engagement.
Client Overview
The client is a Malaysian multinational shipping business with activities related to energy shipping, marine repair and conversion, engineering and construction works, and maritime services. The goal was to streamline the labour-intensive manual process of managing over 800 invoices monthly to improve accuracy and efficiency.
Objectives
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Automate the manual processing of a large volume of invoices to reduce human error.
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Increase the efficiency of the accounts receivable team.
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Enhance the quality of financial data and reporting.
Challenges
The accounts receivable team faced significant challenges with the manual handling of invoices, including high time consumption, increased likelihood of human error, and inefficiencies in data management.
Solution
The client adopted a two-phase automation approach:
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Phase 1: Designed and implemented a process automation solution using Microsoft Power Automate.
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Phase 2: Replaced Power Automate with Python scripts to speed up the automation process further.
Results/benefits
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Productivity improvement: Productivity soared with a remarkable improvement, reducing the processing time from 10 days to just 2 minutes, an increase in efficiency over 7,000 times.
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Increased accuracy: Reduction of human error through task automation; improved the quality of financial data and reports.